Wonderland

by Tracy Farr

Paperback

About the author

Tracy Farr is a novelist and short story writer who used to be a scientist. Originally from Australia, she’s lived in New Zealand for more than twenty years; she calls both countries home.

Tracy's debut novel The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt (Fremantle Press 2013; Aardvark Bureau 2016) is about love, loss, electronic music and the sea. Her second novel, The Hope Fault (Fremantle Press 2017, Aardvark Bureau 2018), is about family, anxiety and geology.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally random premise - that Marie Curie comes to convalesce on the Miramar Peninsula in 1912 - but I was happily convinced and loved seeing the history of place I live in a novel.

[Kimberley Oosterbeek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really wanted to like this more. Some nice writing and an interesting setting, but not much really happened.

[Shiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book - I was inspired to read it after seeing Tracy Farr at the Women’s Bookshop Literatea event. It’s a gentle moving story based loosely around the actual theme park Winderland - but it’s actually much more than that - a subtle story of women and relationships and in particular the special bond sisters have.

[Catherine Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracy Farr’s alternative historical fiction, Wonderland, is a wonderful read. The setting is real – Wonderland was an amusement park in Miramar that ran from 1907 to 1912 – but the main characters and events are fictional.
The amusement park is the backdrop to the lives of the Loverock family. Charlie is the owner and his wife Matti, a doctor in obstetrics, is promoting the new technology of incubators for newborn babies. Handy when they have triplets of their own to exhibit at Wonderland.
By 1912 the triplets are seven, Wonderland is in financial strife and a mysterious French woman is sent to Matti (by Sir Ernest Rutherford) to recuperate from illness and scandal. It’s no spoiler to say the woman is Marie Curie (of radium fame) who, upended like Alice in Wonderland, feels everything is topsy-turvy on the other side of the world.
The story is told by Matti, The Lady and the enchanting child’s eye view of the triplets – ‘ratbags’ their exuberant and theatrical father calls them. Wonderland has a fresh and imaginative approach, grounded in the Wellington setting of Miramar. Local history buffs will recognise some minor characters and incidents drawn from the historical record that enhance the story.

[JanGlen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book so far this year.
Wonderland is set in Miramar, Wellington in 1912 and is told in three voices. Seven year old triplets Ada, Hanna and Oona, although individuals, speak as a single unit. Then there is Matti (mother/doctor/wife) who works evenings in obstetrics. Finally there is Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie who is ill and has come out to New Zealand to be being cared for by the family. The title is taken from the amusement park run by Charlie (father/husband) and held in fascination by the three girls.
This is a beautiful book about family, about the friendship of women, about loss and resilience. There is a magical quality to the story and the way it is told, a sense of wonder, but wonder that is totally grounded. The voices are real, and the story is both moving and hopeful. The writing is stunning.

[Ruth Tait · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The writing style really appealed to me. The use of repetition, the labelling of characters used throughout e.g. mother-doctor-wife, with subtle changes and the different word patterns employed all added to the effect. Having said that, it was easy to read, different and a great mix of reality and fiction woven together. The different viewpoints of each chapter gave an interesting perspective on events and the changing worlds of the triplets was gentle and understated. Great read.

[HC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful writing, unique story, great characters. I loved that it brought Wellington in 1912 to life.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 4.5 star read. A beautifully original novel set in Wellington. Loved it!